Urvashi Rautela Tiranga Gown; Priyanka Chopra Mallika Sherawat Online Trolling

Urvashi Rautela has found herself at the centre of a controversy after wearing a tricolour-inspired gown at the grand finale of Miss Universe India 2026 in Jaipur. The actress, who was part of the judging panel, walked the ramp in a dramatic couture outfit featuring saffron, white and green panels, along with a blue circular embellishment inspired by the Ashoka Chakra.

While the look was intended as a tribute to India, some social media users objected to the use of the national colours and questioned whether the outfit violated rules governing the use of the Indian flag.

One of the users had tagged the Ministry of Home Affairs, calling it an insult to the national flag.

The controversy prompted Urvashi to clarify her position. Speaking to Hindustan Times, she said the gown was not a literal reproduction of the national flag but a couture interpretation inspired by the tricolour.

She explained that the shades, proportions, direction of the colour panels, central embellishment and materials were deliberately altered. According to her, the orange and green were not the exact flag colours, while the Ashoka Chakra-inspired element was transformed into a fashion embellishment.

The gown was designed by Belarusian designer Darya Chermashentseva of DASHA Fashion Couture and reportedly took around three months to create.

Urvashi said the idea was to express what India meant to her and described the outfit as an artistic interpretation rather than an attempt to reproduce the national flag.

However, the debate has once again brought attention to celebrities who have faced criticism for using the tricolour or flag-inspired designs in their clothes and public appearances. Urvashi is far from the first celebrity to find herself in such a situation.

Graphic credit: Aayushi Jain.

Mandira Bedi’s tricolour saree controversy

One of the most notable cases dates back to 2007, when actor and television presenter Mandira Bedi wore a saree featuring the national flags of the countries participating in the Cricket World Cup. The Indian tricolour appeared towards the bottom of the sari, near her knees and feet.

The outfit triggered strong protests, with complaints filed against Bedi and designer Puneet Nanda under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. An effigy of Bedi was also burnt by Shiv Sena workers in Indore.

Bedi subsequently changed the sari and apologised on air, saying the use of the flag was inadvertent and that she had no intention of disrespecting it.

The incident remains one of the most prominent examples of a celebrity outfit becoming a national-flag controversy.

Priyanka Chopra was trolled over a tricolour scarf

In 2017, Priyanka Chopra faced social media backlash after sharing an Independence Day video.

She wore a white top and jeans with a tricolour scarf around her neck.

Some users accused her of disrespecting the national flag and demanded that she show more respect to the national symbol. Others, however, pointed out that she was wearing a scarf in the colours of the tricolour rather than the actual national flag. The scarf did not feature the Ashoka Chakra.

The controversy highlighted an important distinction that has surfaced repeatedly in such cases: using saffron, white and green in clothing is not necessarily the same as reproducing the official Indian flag.

Mallika Sherawat’s tricolour poster sparked legal controversy

A poster showed the actress draped in the Indian tricolour while sitting on top of a car.

Mallika Sherawat also faced criticism over the use of the tricolour in the poster for her 2014 film Dirty Politics.

The poster drew strong objections, with a petition filed against Sherawat and the film’s makers. The Hyderabad High Court issued notices to the actress and the Centre over the controversy surrounding the poster.

Unlike a fashion look merely using similar colours, the poster depicted Sherawat actually wrapped in a representation of the national flag, making the issue particularly contentious.

Designer Malini Ramani’s flag-inspired dress

Fashion designer Malini Ramani had faced a similar controversy years earlier. She wore a dress featuring horizontal strips of orange, white and green along with a blue wheel resembling the Ashoka Chakra. The outfit became a subject of debate over whether the national flag had been improperly used as fashion.

The controversy came at a time when India’s rules governing the display of the national flag were more restrictive. Ramani argued that the outfit was intended to promote Indian identity and was not made from an actual flag.

Gehna Vashishth also faced backlash

Model Gehna Vashishth was another name to figure in controversies surrounding the national flag. In 2012, a complaint was reportedly filed against her over images in which the tricolour was used to cover her body.

The incident attracted criticism and allegations that the national flag had been used in a disrespectful manner.

The flag-code debate

The repeated controversies involving celebrities stem from the special legal and emotional status of India’s national flag. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, contains restrictions on the improper use of the national flag, while the Flag Code of India lays down rules for its display and handling.

At the same time, the distinction between the actual national flag and clothing that merely uses its colours can be important.

Priyanka Chopra’s 2017 controversy, for instance, involved a tricolour scarf without the Ashoka Chakra, while Urvashi has specifically argued that her gown altered the colours, orientation, proportions and central design.

The debate around Urvashi’s gown therefore goes beyond one celebrity’s fashion choice. It raises a recurring question in Indian public life: where should the line be drawn between patriotic fashion and the inappropriate use of a national symbol?

While celebrities may see tricolour-inspired clothing as an expression of pride, such outfits can also attract intense scrutiny because of the respect attached to the national flag.